Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Friday sought apology from specific newspapers for publishing remarks, expunged by Chairman Senate during proceedings of the House.
The committee issued the direction for apology after Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak raised the matter regarding non-adherence to the restriction on use of expunged words. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz stressed that media organizations should put in place a mechanism to promote good parliamentary practices. Two representatives of a group of newspapers explained their position regarding publishing of expunged remarks in a front page news story. They said the newspaper had already printed its apology on the front page.
After discussion, Senator Nauman accepted apology of the group and said that remarks expunged by Chairman Senate should not be published again. He said in case of violation of rules of the Parliament on expunged remarks, the licence of a newspaper should be cancelled. Senator Nauman stressed that supremacy of Parliament and implementation of law ought to be ensured.
On recommendation of the Senators, chairman committee Senator Faisal Javed directed the Information Ministry to seek apology from 13 other newspapers that published the remarks expunged by the Chairman Senate. The Ministry of Information will submit report to the committee about the newspapers which will print the apology in this regard.
